The Aftermath
by CrystalMaiden77
Summary: Remember when Miles attempted to convince Buns to return to the Suppression Squad after Scourge was arrested? Ever wonder what the full extent of that conversation was? Well, here's the answer!


After Scourge had been arrested by the No Zone police, Miles attempted to convince Buns to come back to the Suppression Squad. Even though he didn't like her, he knew his allies would still benefit from her abilities. Speaking mostly casually again since he once considered her part of his friends, he said nonchalantly, " You know, Buns, it was Scourge who wanted you out. With that Omega Armor, you could be a real asset to the Suppression Squad, " complimenting her mecha suit smoothly in spite of the fact that he didn't like the menacing and different way it made her look. The whole time he was persuading her, he was smiling, confident that he would succeed; after all, he persuaded Sally and her group to help him against Scourge, and she clearly hated him, so after succeeding in persuading someone who hated him for the first time in his life, he took it for granted that he'd get the same result with Buns. After all, his reasoning made perfect sense to him in his head, and he couldn't imagine why she wouldn't agree with it; as far as he knew, she only had a reason to hate Scourge, because it was only him who betrayed her.

" You're a creepy little cuss, you know that? " Buns responded bitterly, taking him by surprise. He looked stunned and confused, completely thrown for a loop. Did that mean she wasn't coming back? What would her hating him have to do with that? And why would she hate him that much for acting the part of an intimidating criminal? She knew it wasn't entirely him, she had seen the evidence herself.

After a brief dumbfounded silence, Miles asked, " What do you mean? That's, I mean, what's the problem? That's all part of the act! You know that! I have to act this way to appear dignified and intimidating as a member of the Suppression Squad, to avoid looking weak! Why- "

" You ARE weak! You're an oversensitive cowardly crybaby and you got all of the Suppression Squad to spoil you rotten out of pity! It's been obvious to me since I've met you that you don't belong in the gang! You don't deserve to be in it! You're a poser, Miles! A coward! You get panic attacks and emotional outbursts more than once a week and the only reason they put up with you at first was because Scourge forced them to! " Buns shouted at him, letting out the hatred towards him that she had bottled up all those years.

Miles was struck speechless with a sad look in his eyes, knowing full well that everything she said about him was true, and faced with all of the overwhelming insults about himself all at once, he tried to deny it for the sake of his dignity. Letting down the mask as he slipped into a less sophisticated way of speaking, he exclaimed in frustration, " I… N-NO! I-It was because they warmed up to me because they realized how useful I was to the gang! It wasn't just that I made them feel sorry for me! I never wanted to show them any weakness in me, it just happened, and they're such great friends that they're reassuring of me and considerate instead of judging me like everyone else! "

Buns complained, " Yeah, great friends. For you! Loved all the arguments I had to get into with Alicia constantly nagging me to be nicer to you! I went to Kintobar because I had to, but now that I have him to stay with, I don't need you guys anymore! I've been sick of being treated like I'm the unreasonable one for years because I'm the only one sane enough to get that you don't belong! That you have this entire gang of fearsome cold and heartless criminals and then there's you, this weak and inexperienced and emotionally unstable little kid, and instead of being kicked out for being spineless and pathetic, you were spoiled and babied by them like they were overprotective parents, humiliating us every time we had to calm you down! That's great for our street cred! What, so I go back to you people and go back to getting treated like the bad guy? Screw that! I'm sick of you! Sick of your fake emotionless creepy act and how pathetic you really are while still being the favorite! "

Tears began to well up in his eyes at everything she said to him, and he stared at her sadly in a heartbroken and anxiety-filled expression. " How could you say that to me?!... You're the traitor! I'm, telling… " Miles whimpered as he started wiping away his tears frantically, devastated by the way he had been treated by a former friend. The fact that she spoke as if she wasn't the only friend who found him pathetic was especially devastating, as it forced him to dwell on the upsetting possibility that Alicia, Patch and Boomer resented him for making them show a soft side as well, and that he was only being a burden on them by humiliating them with his outbursts and emotional instability, something that he couldn't even help. It wasn't fair.

As Miles gasped and exhaled in short sharp breaths wishing the tears would stop, the clouds expanded and darkened above him and it started raining in a heavy downpour in perfect response to his emotional turmoil, making Buns thankful her mecha suit was waterproof as she judgmentally watched Miles wipe away tears shaking and quietly cursing her. He said sadly, " How could you? I'm telling Ally… " in a cracking voice. Finally realizing how typical of a kid that previous phrase was, he was even more embarrassed, and hateful towards himself, thinking of himself as sounding like a whiny kid rather than a legitimate victim who had been wronged, let down and betrayed by being abandoned by his own friend once again, and this time with them leaving with a hate-filled rant to make it worse.

" I mean… " he whispered, and stopped covering his eyes and had his fists clenched with his arms to his side, glaring at Buns in what he hoped looked like an intimidating rage. Unfortunately, due to his overwhelming sadness, his angry expression only came out as a pout, humiliating himself even more, as Buns rolled her eyes under her mecha suit.

" Fine! Be that way! " Miles attempted to shout with a cracking voice, and thunder boomed loudly from his frustration with a bolt of lightning striking the ground behind him for emphasis. This at least seemed to startle Buns a little. Unable to keep looking intimidating for long, his expression returned to devastated again as more tears escaped his eyes and ran down his face. He sniffled, and shouted to her vengefully with a choked up voice,

" You _bully!_ I never liked you anyway! Don't expect it to be easy when you come crawling back! " With that, he ran off, returning to the rest of the Suppression Squad before she could say another hurtful word. Buns rolled her eyes at him again, having no respect for him. If anything, she was satisfied at what she viewed as standing up to him at long last, taking the favorite member of the Suppression Squad down a peg after years of getting nothing but reassurance.


End file.
